Ranked #116 car in the UK · Saloon · 4,569 units sold last year
The Mercedes C-Class spans the W205 (2014-2021) and the screen-led W206 (2021 on), the compact executive saloon pitched squarely at the 3 Series and A4. It leans toward comfort and a luxurious, S-Class-in-miniature cabin over outright driver appeal. UK cars are mild-hybrid petrols, diesels and a long-range C300e plug-in hybrid that can cover serious distances on electric alone.
How these figures are sourced — the valuation is anchored to a researched used-market price for this model (AutoTrader median, 2023 at 30k miles). Reliability, mileage and variant data are real DVSA MOT records. Dimensions, tyre sizes and costs, servicing figures and the insurance group are segment-level estimates rather than sourced per car, and are being replaced model by model.
combined
The short version
Forecourt score
Value 43 · Reliability 19 · catalogue percentiles
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class holds its value about averagely and costs about average to run. Its MOT-based reliability is average — an MOT score of 65/100, ahead of 42% of the cars we track. On three-year value retention it ranks better than 43% of models.
The Forecourt score blends how this car ranks against the catalogue on value retention, reliability and insurance cost (weighted 40/40/20) — the from-new ownership picture. Higher is better; running cost is not yet folded in.
Fuel
Diesel · 1993cc
Power
197 ps
Drivetrain
RWD
Cam drive
Chain
Quoted MPG
55 mpg
The volume seller. 197 PS diesel with mHEV, RWD, 9-speed auto. AMG Line entry trim — 18-inch wheels, AMG bumpers, lowered suspension. 7.3s 0-62, 55+ mpg on a run. The C-Class most fleet drivers ordered.
Tidy and well looked-after for its age — the typical car.
Remembered as you browse other cars.
Optional — fills in the exact year and ULEZ status for your specific car. The registration isn’t stored.
Estimated market value
How we got this number — click for the breakdown, or to challenge it.£23,550
Range £19,900 – £27,550
medium confidence
Past the steep drop and getting scarce — strong value now.
At 28,878 miles it’s about the ~31,388 typical for a 3-year-old.
Seen one for sale?
A data-led guide from the depreciation curve, UK parc trend and reliability — not financial advice.
How a 2023-registration Mercedes-Benz C-Class loses value over time.
Based on the 2023 car with 28,878 miles you entered above — worth about £23,550 today — here is the cost of owning it for the next 5 years, at roughly 9,626 miles a year.
5-year total
£21,275
Per year
£4,255
All-in per mile
£0.44
Fuel per mile
18.1p
If a company carAround £654/mo Benefit-in-Kind tax at the 40% rate (£327/mo at 20%) — 37% band
If you're a company-car driver
At 37% BIK, a 40% taxpayer would pay about £654/month in company-car tax (£327/month at 20%) — on top of the running costs above. Full BIK table below for context.
Best age to buy — around 2 years
A 2-year-old example loses roughly £3,350 a year — 81% less than the £17,350 a one-year-old sheds. The steepest drop is behind it.
Uses current UK pump and home-charging prices (DESNZ weekly), typical-driver insurance and manufacturer service intervals. "Fuel per mile" is just the energy input — so an EV at ~9p and a diesel at ~22p make running-cost comparison direct. A guide; your own costs will vary.
Where this car ranks against the 340 vehicles in our index — higher is better.
Percentile rank across our full index. A measure is shown only where the data spreads meaningfully across the index.
How the available versions compare on price, running cost, and the headaches each tends to develop.
Best non-PHEV C-Class for most. C 220 d the fleet workhorse; C 200 the smoother urban choice. UK only offers AMG Line + variants — finding the cheaper Avantgarde is impossible (not imported).
Watch for
The C-Class enthusiast version. 300 d's 269 PS / 550 Nm makes it the genuinely fast diesel; 300 petrol the sweet-spot petrol. Premium spec adds the kit AMG Line lacks.
Watch for
300 e: best PHEV electric range in segment — 60-100mi WLTP. AMG C 43: divisive but objectively quick (4.6s 0-62). Both depreciate hard. PHEV is the fleet play; C 43 better leased than bought.
Watch for
Fuel/energy costs based on this week’s UK averages (w/c 03/08/2026) · Petrol 159.9p/L, Diesel 179.2p/L, Electricity 27.0p/kWh · DESNZ
Group 32 of 50 (upper-mid — pricier to insure) · Comprehensive · 3 years NCB
Indicative annual comprehensive premiums for this car, by driver age band and risk profile. Pick the combination closest to your circumstances.
Estimated annual premium · typical, age 33-39
£910/ year
Roughly £76 per month
Typical
Average UK driver — 3 years NCB, average postcode, no recent claims.| Age band | Lower risk | Typical | Higher risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 17-25 | £2,075 | £2,594 | £3,372 |
| Age 26-32 | £1,083 | £1,274 | £1,554 |
| Age 33-39Selected | £801 | £910 | £1,074 |
| Age 40-49 | £680 | £755 | £876 |
| Age 50+ | £606 | £673 | £795 |
How we estimate this
Indicative annual comprehensive premium estimates. The 'Typical' figure represents an average UK driver in each age band; Lower and Higher risk show the realistic spread driven by factors UK insurers legitimately price on (postcode, occupation, claims history, NCB, voluntary excess, modifications). Based on 10,000 miles/yr, £250 voluntary excess, and the no-claims bonus selected above. Always get individual quotes before buying.
Adjust the annual mileage to match how you'll actually use the car. Insurance is what you selected above (age 33-39, typical risk, 3 yrs NCB).
Routine service
£290
Annual main-dealer service
Major service
£280
Every 2 years, annualised
Road tax
£200
Standard rate, post year-one
Fuel
£702
55 mpg, £1.60/L
Insurance
£910
Age 33-39, group 32
Clean-air zones
✓ ULEZ compliantBased on London ULEZ standards — Birmingham, Bath, Bristol, Sheffield, Glasgow and other UK clean-air zones generally follow the same rules.
Excludes depreciation and unscheduled repairs (see next section).
What out-of-warranty repairs typically run, by mileage band. Your selected mileage is highlighted.
0-30k miles
£120
per year · low risk
30-60k miles
£360
per year · low risk
60-100k miles
£780
per year · medium risk
100k+ miles
£1,350
per year · high risk
205/60 R16 · 225/50 R17 · 245/40 R18
What a full set of four will cost you (including fit and balance), and which brand each tier of buyer should pick. A typical set lasts about 24,000 miles.
Budget
£300
set of 4, fitted · £60 per tyre
Mid-range
£440
set of 4, fitted · £95 per tyre
Premium
£620
set of 4, fitted · £140 per tyre
Factory options ranked by how much of their original cost they recover at resale. Anything above 70% return tends to make money back; below 40% is paying for your own enjoyment.
| Option | New cost | Added used value | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
Tow bar (factory-fit) Niche, but the buyers who want one will pay for it. | £650 | £450 | 69% |
Parking sensors & reversing camera Near-expected now — its absence costs more than its presence returns. | £500 | £300 | 60% |
Heated seats / cold-weather pack | £450 | £200 | 44% |
Adaptive / matrix LED headlights | £900 | £400 | 44% |
Metallic or premium paint Almost universal — an unusual colour is the bigger resale risk. | £600 | £200 | 33% |
Panoramic / opening roof | £1,100 | £350 | 32% |
Advanced driver-assistance pack | £1,500 | £450 | 30% |
Larger alloy wheels | £700 | £200 | 29% |
Premium sound system | £800 | £200 | 25% |
Drawn from owner reports and warranty data. Filtered for relevance to 28,878 miles.
Watch now
Failure typically happens around your current mileage.
Upcoming
A known weak point — but you haven't reached its usual mileage yet.
Already due
Past its usual failure mileage. Either already fixed, or about to.
Recorded in 12.5% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 8,246,153 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
Recorded in 7.4% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 8,246,153 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
Recorded in 8.1% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 8,246,153 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
Recorded in 6.3% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 8,246,153 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
Recorded in 3.0% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 8,246,153 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
Recorded in 3.0% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 8,246,153 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
"Parts low/medium/high" indicates how easy the replacement part is to source — discontinued or specialist parts mean longer workshop time and bigger bills.
Euro NCAP's independent crash-test rating for the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, from its 2022 assessment.
The passenger compartment of the C-Class remained stable in the frontal offset test.
Independent crash-test data from Euro NCAP. Star ratings reflect the test protocol of the year shown — newer protocols are stricter, so a 5-star from 2024 represents a higher bar than a 5-star from 2014. Euro NCAP ratings run for six years from publication; a lapsed rating means the protocol has moved on, not that the car performs any worse than it did on test.
How this model fares at its MOT as it ages — from 277,215 real DVSA test records.
MOT pass rate by age
A 3-year-old C-Class passes its MOT 88.3% of the time; by 25 years that has slipped to 74.6%. The y-axis is zoomed to this model’s range so the trend is readable.
Longevity
From 3,332 vehicles registered in 2018.
Survival by registration year
Each point is one registration cohort. Older cars on the left, newer on the right. A flatter line means the model holds up over time; a steep drop means cohorts disappear from UK roads faster.
What’s on the road
The fuel-type split of every C-Class with MOT history in the DVSA record. From 97,302 vehicles tested at least once - not the number on the road today, which is lower.
What fails at the first MOT
The defect categories a C-Class registered 2020–2023 fails on at its first MOT, from 15,438 first tests. Every car here is the same age and the same generation, so these are the faults that show up first - not the wear a high-mileage older example collects.
Share of first MOT tests recording at least one defect in that category. DVSA test-item categories, not parts: “Driver’s view” covers mirrors, wipers and glass.
Typical mileage by age
The average odometer reading for a C-Class at MOT, by age — measured from the same DVSA records, not assumed. A useful yardstick for whether a given car has done more or fewer miles than its age suggests.
Mean recorded mileage at MOT by vehicle age, from DVSA test records. Ages below three are not shown: the first MOT is due at three years, so the few cars tested earlier are a self-selected minority rather than a representative sample. Ages with at least 10 tests shown.
Average
First-MOT pass rate and defect rate for cars registered 2020 onward (15,438 first tests), with cohort survival — high confidence.
MOT outlook · age 5 years
42nd percentile — Below catalogue average
Based on 653,991 MOT tests · ranked against 248 catalogue models with comparable data
Where this car sits in the catalogue
Pass-rate distribution across 248 catalogue models
Safety recalls
Manufacturers occasionally issue safety recalls to fix a fault free of charge. You can check whether the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, or your exact vehicle, has any outstanding recalls on the official DVSA service.
Check on GOV.UKOpens the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency recall checker. Choose the make, model and year of manufacture — no registration needed.
A general indicator from UK 2025 theft data and this car’s characteristics — not a prediction for any one vehicle.
Whole-car theft
Higher
Higher-value cars like this are relay-theft targets — keyless entry can be exploited from the driveway in under a minute.
Parts theft
Higher
Hybrid versions are a catalytic-converter target — a hybrid cat is rich in precious metals and can be cut out in about a minute.
Worth doing
Whether driving a Mercedes-Benz C-Class into a UK clean-air zone will cost you anything. Rules use the same Euro standard across most zones — petrol from 2006 and diesel from 2015 onwards are exempt; pure electric is always exempt.
| City | Area | Daily charge | Likely outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | All of Greater London (within the M25) | £12.50 | Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6. |
| Birmingham | Inside the A4540 Middleway | £8.00 | Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6. |
| Bristol | City centre and part of the Portway | £9.00 | Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6. |
| Glasgow | City centre | — | Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6. |
| Edinburgh | City centre | — | Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6. |
| Aberdeen | City centre | — | Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6. |
| Dundee | City centre | — | Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6. |
Model-level guidance only. To check a specific registration, use the official gov.uk clean-air zone checker. Zone charges and boundaries are set by local councils and change over time.
What HMRC's Benefit-in-Kind charge looks like if you ran this Mercedes-Benz C-Class as a company car, by tax year and income-tax band. Calculated from a CO₂ of 157 g/km and a WLTP electric range of 47 miles, using £53,000 as the P11D value.
| Tax year | BIK % | Tax @ 20% | Tax @ 40% | Monthly @ 20% | Monthly @ 40% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 36% | £3,816 | £7,632 | £318 | £636 |
| 2026-27 | 37% | £3,922 | £7,844 | £327 | £654 |
| 2027-28 | 38% | £4,028 | £8,056 | £336 | £671 |
| 2028-29 | 38% | £4,028 | £8,056 | £336 | £671 |
| 2029-30 | 38% | £4,028 | £8,056 | £336 | £671 |
P11D value is approximated from the latest new price; the exact figure on your tax code will depend on options fitted. The 4% diesel surcharge applies only to non-RDE2 (pre-2021) diesels — we assume RDE2 compliance for current models. Bands and rates from HMRC's Autumn Budget 2024 confirmation through 2029/30.
How well-supported Mercedes-Benz is across the UK — a practical read on how easy servicing, parts and warranty work will be to find.
Franchised UK dealers
~125
Large network
Premium mainstream
Network size relative to the UK's largest (Mercedes-Benz is 2.8% of all franchised outlets)
Servicing, parts and warranty work are easy to find UK-wide, and most independent garages know the brand well — which keeps maintenance competitive.
For context, the UK has roughly 4,500 franchised car-dealer outlets in total, plus about 15,500 independent garages.
Approximate figures, curated from public UK industry sources (NFDA, Car Dealer Magazine). Franchised networks shrink year on year — these indicate network size, not an exact count.
These are segment estimates, not manufacturer figures. 296 of 325 catalogued cars share one of 14 identical dimension sets, so they describe a class rather than this particular car. Sourced figures replace them model by model.
Length
4,700 mm
Width
1,840 mm
Height
1,450 mm
Kerb weight
1,550 kg
Boot
460–480 L
Fuel tank
48 L
How the UK Mercedes-Benz C-Class fleet splits: taxed and on the road, parked off the road on a SORN, and gone from the register where that figure is available.
Total ever registered
460,312
Currently taxed & on road
342,909
74% of all registered
SORN (off road)
49,272
11% of all registered
Scrapped or exported
68,131
UK fleet trend — 2014 to 2025
-4.4% vs 2024Source: DfT VEH0124 vehicle licensing statistics (year-end 2025) · Updated 29 Jul 2026
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Common questions
Answers are generated from this car's Forecourt data — DVSA MOT records, DfT licensing statistics and our valuation model — and update with the weekly data refresh.